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Safety
See how new antibacterial products squash superbugs
July 6, 2020
Unicel Architectural, a manufacturer and installer of louvered glazing, skylights, and aluminum and timber curtain walls, already let you know about Vision Control®’s new high-density polyethylene thumbwheels containing Gaia 704 antibacterial compound, which controls or retards the growth of bacteria, fungus and algae.
Strategies for Fire Prevention in the Workplace
July 3, 2020
Have you ever thought about boosting your buiding's defenses with solutions like smoke curtains for additional safety and control? Depending upon the workplace in question, it might be legally required for a company’s staff members to be professionally trained in fire safety. But all businesses should educate their staff in a few key areas. Read more about Strategies for Fire Prevention.
Several to one: removable bollards systems - why you might buy more than one receiver per bollard (or vice versa)
June 26, 2020
Removable bollards are a style of bollard used to permit or deny access to variable-use spaces. When the bollards are present, they prevent cars and trucks from accessing a space. Site managers remove them at certain times or for specific people to grant vehicle access. When these bollards are removed, they must be stored.
Cable Railing – Unencumbered Views for Your Treasured Spaces
May 29, 2020
What’s a dream home without the perfect view? If your idea of a welcoming space is open, expansive views and lots of natural lighting, you should consider incorporating stainless steel cable railing into your deck, stairs and other outdoor – and indoor – spaces. Minimalist, modern and fully recyclable, stainless steel cable railing is a great option for homeowners looking to make deck or room more spacious and inviting.
Safe Gate Systems Start with Safe Gate Designs
May 27, 2020
Why specify sensing edges for automatic gates? The 2009 International Building Code (IBC) and the 2009 International Fire Code (IFC) require automated vehicular gates comply with the provisions of UL325 and ASTM F2200.
Removable Bollard Receivers - a comparison of removable mounting options
April 27, 2020
What are your options for removable bollard mounts? Bollards are versatile applications used for security and demarcation. Bollards encourage safer spaces by protecting people and infrastructure from vehicle intrusion, but they can also be used more casually as visual guides or boundary markers. Indoors or out, they protect and guide users of the area.
Balau Wood Cable Railing
April 24, 2020
Exuding elegance, this stairwell and living area in Angwin, CA combine creamy walls with richly colored hardwood. The red balau railing frame fits in perfectly, while cable infill keeps the area open and spacious.
Bulletproof products: 3 things architects should bear in mind
April 17, 2020
Security has always been a concern for architectural designers and project managers, but the nature of the threats that we face in both private and public spaces is changing rapidly. This has mandated a wide-scale reconsideration of how we protect ourselves at home, at work, or in any of the places where we may be vulnerable to firearms-related offenses. Ensuring that buildings are equipped to deal with real and perceived security threats falls under a key part of the architect’s role: To ensure both functionality and safety of a premise’s design and structural elements. This increasingly means considering bulletproof products such as reinforced windows and forced-entry resistant doors when looking for contractors.
3 Creative Ways to Utilize CableRail in Interiors
April 1, 2020
The integration of outdoor and indoor living spaces is a growing design trend. A concept first popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright, organic architecture aims to intertwine the spaces of a home by creating a seamless aesthetic between the interior and the exterior. While this can be accomplished in many ways, utilizing design elements that are consistent both inside and outside the home can create a perfectly unified living space.
Top 5 Reasons Commercial Buildings Fail Fire Safety Inspections & What to Do About It
March 30, 2020
Most commercial buildings need to undergo yearly fire inspections to make sure that the building is conforming to local, state and federal fire codes. Some of these codes and the reasons for failed inspections can be traced to the building owner, while others are on the builder who should have ensured that they’re included right from the beginning. In the event of the former, there is little that architects or builders can do. In the event of the latter, however, it is on you to make sure that the building is up to code and able to pass those inspections each year. Let’s look at five reasons commercial buildings fail fire safety inspections, and how you can avoid them in your next project.
Bollard fencing? Perimeter security with bollards, fences, and walls
March 27, 2020
From patios to secure perimeters, fences, bollards, and walls are found together protecting and defining space. These elements of boundary design complement each other. Each offers different options and aesthetics.
Security Barriers: Finding the Balance Between Throughput, Safety and Security
March 20, 2020
We're talking about something that many #security entrance manufacturers shy away from: barrier contact. Why does it happen and how do you avoid it?
Cranky Portable Winch is the safe (and easy!) way to lift heavy objects
February 28, 2020
Cranky Portable Winch is the safe (and easy!) way to lift heavy objects -- such as compressors and motors -- directly through the roof hatch or up a vertical ladder.
Safe Rooms: A New Approach To Workplace Violence
February 17, 2020
Many companies are exploring ways that they can create “safe rooms” in their existing office—addressing the special challenges of corporate security. One of the greatest challenges: the attacker is very often someone familiar to the target and victims. As a result, security measures that are highly effective in many settings—like access control—are only one part of the puzzle.
Automatic Smoke Vents
January 27, 2020
Automatic Smoke Vents protect property and aid firefighters in bringing a fire under control by removing smoke, heat, and gases from a burning building. Smoke vents are ideally suited for large expanses of unobstructed space such as factories, warehouses, auditoriums, and retail facilities. Mechanical smoke vents are activated upon the melting of a fusible link and options are available for smoke detector and fire alarm activation.
Permanent building mounted ladder receivers
January 22, 2020
Almost everyone that has ever used an extension ladder, roof hatch or permanently mounted vertical ladder has some type of “scary” story to tell. After years in the commercial heating and air conditioning business, climbing up and down many different types of ladders and hearing all of those stories, the inventor/developer of LadderPort™ decided to find a safer way for all construction trades to access roofs when using an extension ladder.
White aluminum cable railing
January 17, 2020
This Bay Area home had recently undergone a yard and deck renovation to update the outdoor space into something more modern and open. The customers wanted a railing solution that fit this contemporary theme while maintaining an open view of their newly landscaped yard.
A Guide to Bollard Spacing and Site Planning
December 25, 2019
How far apart should you install your #bollards? Proper spacing for a range of bollard applications.
Use Smoke & Fire Curtains to Achieve Fire Code-Compliance in Multi-Story Atriums
December 3, 2019
A multi-level atrium can be a beautiful and welcoming architectural feature to any building, creating a sense of openness and bringing in natural light. With an ever-increasing focus on energy efficiency and employee wellness, using natural light can make a building more attractive to potential tenants and visitors.
But several stories of open space pose unique challenges when it comes to fire safety planning. In the event of a fire, an atrium without the proper smoke and fire control technology can facilitate the rapid spread of fire from one floor to the next, leading to extensive property damage and creating dangerous conditions for building occupants as they evacuate.
Red Alert! Security Entrances and Emergency Egress Plans
November 27, 2019
Alarms are sounding, lights are flashing, and there is a sense of panic in the air. Security entrances, which provide a seamless access control solution in all types of buildings, are usually not intended to be the only means of emergency egress from a facility. Even so, some security entrance types such as tripod turnstiles, full height turnstiles, revolving doors and security portals, can be a main component of your emergency egress plan that can help ensure a safe evacuation.